Brian Hunter took the job expecting he’d have to rely on patience as much as coaching acumen.
He figured starting a new boys basketball program at Glacier Peak would be a slow process.
Then, after the first year brought moderate success, expectations shifted a little. And now, in just its second year of existence and first year with seniors, the south Snohomish school is headed to Tacoma for the Class 3A state tournament.
“Before we had started play at all, I went into it thinking it was going to take awhile,” said Hunter, whose team opens the tournament with a 9 a.m. game against Franklin Pierce (17-7) Wednesday. “I kind of had a plan of four to five years, and I was hoping that we’d be competitive … When I took the job I did not expect to be this good this soon. I had prepared myself for some growing pains.”
In retrospect, Hunter admits, he should have known better. As a Snohomish High graduate and coach in the area — he coached at Stanwood before going to Glacier Peak — Hunter is familiar with the talent level in Snohomish.
“I think I underestimated the talent level we would get, and I also underestimated — and I shouldn’t have — the type of kid that comes from Snohomish and how competitive they are,” he said.
Hunter first realized his team might not take as long as expected to come around when, without a senior on the roster, the Grizzlies went 13-11 in 2009.
“Going into last season, we hoped that we would be competitive,” he said. “We knew that we were going to be up against it a little bit being a small school in a 3A/4A league not having seniors. But what happened last year was we had such a great season for our first year, and competing the way we did, it kind of changed our mindset coming into this year.”
That first season changed what Glacier Peak believed was possible in 2010, and behind the play of leading scorer Brandon Hill, strong guard play and imposing size inside, the Grizzlies have rattled off 11 straight wins, a District 1 title, and an impressive 19-5 record despite a 1-3 start.
“Our goal at the start of the year was to win the district title,” Hunter said. “I’m sure there are a lot of teams that put that goal down, and it might have been ambitious for us as a second-year school, but based off what we did last year, I really felt like this team could compete at a high level if we did some of the things we needed to do.”
Meadowdale, the team Glacier Peak defeated last week to secure trip to state, battled back in the district tournament to earn its third straight state berth, a first for the program. And a year after reaching the state semifinals, the Mavericks, like Glacier Peak, have bigger goals than just enjoying a trip to state.
In addition to the usual confidence exuded by high schoolers, both Glacier Peak and Meadowdale head to state with a little extra swagger thanks to the “Jackson factor.” Snohomish County has hardly been a producer of basketball powers in recent years (OK, decades), but Jackson’s surprising run to the championship game of last week’s Class 4A tournament has both the Grizzlies and Mavs believing that similar success is possible in the 3A tourney. The Mavericks even swept the Timberwolves in a pair of regular-season meetings.
“We are placing at state,” senior center Connor Hamlett told The Herald after Meadowdale clinched a state berth Saturday night. “That was the goal from the start. You look at the 4A side and you have a Wesco team in the state championship. Who says there can’t be another Wesco team in the state championship?”
Hamlett, an Oregon State football recruit, and the rest of the Mavericks will have a tough road ahead if they are going to match Jackson’s 4A tournament run. Meadowdale opens with top-ranked and unbeaten Enumclaw.
On the girls court at the Tacoma Dome, Lynnwood is the only Snohomish County team to make the 16-team field.
The Royals knocked off Glacier Peak Saturday to earn their first state berth since 1994.
“It definitely was the goal at the start of the season to make the state tournament,” said Lynnwood coach Everett Edwards. “That was a big win for us and the girls definitely were excited.”
Like the Glacier Peak boys, Lynnwood will open the tournament with the dreaded 9 a.m. game. But for a team that lost six of its last seven games last season on the way to an 8-15 record, any time is a good time to play in the state tournament.
“It’s been a long process of teaching our kids,” said Edwards, whose team won five of its last six games to finish 14-12. “Just teaching them how to win and the habits that it takes to have success … To see them progress through the year, it’s been a great thing to see.”
Shorecrest is the only other Wesco team in the girls tournament.
In the Class 2A tournament, which takes place in Yakima, the Archbishop Murphy girls are the only representative from the county.
The Wildcats have won 21 in a row since losing to Kamiak (4A) and Mercer Island (3A) to start the season. Last year, the Wildcats carried a long winning streak to state, but fell to Lynden in the championship game.
Archbishop Murphy will have experience on its side with five senior starters.
“The five seniors have done a combination of different things,” Wildcats coach John Barhanovich said, listing a state soccer title, a second-place finish in volleyball and last year’s second-place finish in basketball among the players’ accomplishments. “You don’t do that unless you’ve got some really special talent and that (senior) class is as good as you can get as far as athletic ability and leadership and helping each other win basketball games … That’s a really talented group.”
Herald Writer Mark Nelson contributed to this story.
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